Louis Abdul Farrakhan was born on May 11, 1933, in Bronx New York as Louis Eugene Walcott. The Nation of Islam leader was raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts and after high school, he attended Winston-Salem Teachers College for two years and then worked as a calypso guitarist-singer. In 1955 Walcott changed his name to Louis X and later Louis Farrakhan.
In 1975 Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad died and, his son, Wallace D. Muhammad, took control of the organization, but went away from many of his father’s teachings and started the process of integrating the NOI into the orthodox Muslim community. However, Louis Farrakhan and other NOI followers weren’t happy with the organization’s new direction. Then in 1978 Farrakhan and the dissidents reestablished the Nation of Islam. Here are seven quotes by Minister Louis Farrakhan.
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1. “Without an advocate for the poor, without a new state of mind in America, the country lies on the brink of anarchy.”
2. “Black leadership has to recognize that principles more than speech, character more than a claim, is greater in advancing the cause of our liberation than what has transpired thus far.”
3. “Overall, the challenge of leadership is both moral and one of developing the characteristics that make us respected by one another.”
4. “Naturally, when one makes progressive steps, there may be some who see it as a betrayal of their goals and interests.”
5. “There really can be no peace without justice. There can be no justice without truth. And there can be no truth, unless someone rises up to tell you the truth.”
6. “I, myself, have said things that have offended others, … But if we’re going to reverse the pain that we give each other, rather than look at the bigger picture which is the pain and suffering of our people, then we will not be able to create a movement that can … heal the horrific condition of our people in America.”
7. “We can’t trust you no more White folks. Not with our lives!”
Sources:
Tamblyn, G. (2007, January 18) Louis Abdul Farrakhan (1933- ). Retrieved from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/farrakhan-louis-abdul-1933/
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